Farms schools as learning centres: excerpts from the minute book of the Paardenvallei Publieke Skool, 1908–1938

Abstract

In the rural areas of South Africa, farm schools provided basic education for generations of pupils for many decades. During the decades before and following the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), farm schools formed the backbone of teaching in these areas. The circumstances under which the farm schools operated were difficult, with pupils of all ages and different grades often being accommodated in a single room. In the decades following the Anglo-Boer War in particular, poverty was widespread and school committees frequently had to deal with requests for free books, free clothing and even food. In this article, conditions in and the background to farm schools are sketched with a specific focus on the Paardenvallei Publieke Skool. This school was founded in 1908 and was situated on the farm Paardenvallei near Theunissen in the Winburg district. The source on which this research is based, is the minute book of the school committee, which was kept for a period of 30 years. The minute book provides good insight into the activities of the school and the daily problems that were encountered in the small community. The socio-economic circumstances of the majority of the pupils, mostly children from the nearby station, make for poignant reading. In addition, the hardships involved in teaching and in exposing the pupils to culture, are evident from the entries that were made in the minute book.

Keywords: education, farm schools, John Brebner, J.J. van der Merwe, Paardenvallei minute book, Paardenvallei Publieke Skool, school committee, teacher, Winburg